Northwest Talk.

Built to last: Soaring steeples, copper-topped towers...

August 13, 1995|By S.R. Carroll.

Built to last: Soaring steeples, copper-topped towers, arched filigree brackets, dentil-studded bay windows, carved eagles on elaborately decorated columns and ornate pilaster-framed windows. These architectural gems are highlighted in amateur photographer Marv Causey's poster that promotes the old river town of Elgin, where he lives.

Causey, a full-time pharmacist, had no trouble finding architectural gems in Elgin to shoot. He would have liked to include more, but he said some structures wouldn't photograph well because they never got direct sunlight.

The Elgin Cultural Arts Commission liked the poster so much it helped to finance the printing. "Looking Up at Downtown Elgin, Illinois" can be found at the Elgin Chamber of Commerce and Old Main museum.

"Elgin's had a bad rap for several years," Causey said, "and I thought maybe this was a means to get people to look at it in a different light."